Starting team and formation without Rene?

[AustrianAndyGull]

I think the tragic thing is that nobody has any confidence that we'll keep a clean sheet and nobody has any confidence that we will score a goal without Rene. I could be tempted to lump on Oxford at the bookies. Surely it's free money! May as well make summat out of a crisis.

[OllieGull]

4-3-3 False 9
---------------Poke------------------
-Oastler---Saah---Downes---Nico-
---Mansell---Lathrope---Craig----
Thompson---Bodin---Stevens-----

The false 9 being that Bodin plays a non striker role and just looks to link up the play with the wingers, similar to Barcelona Messi is not a proper striker yet he links up the play with small passes and can normally dribble past his man. Torquay are not Barcelona, nor is Bodin Messi, yet we play good passing football and Bodin may benefit playing this role.

[AustrianAndyGull]

4-3-3 False 9
---------------Poke------------------
-Oastler---Saah---Downes---Nico-
---Mansell---Lathrope---Craig----
Thompson---Bodin---Stevens-----

The false 9 being that Bodin plays a non striker role and just looks to link up the play with the wingers, similar to Barcelona Messi is not a proper striker yet he links up the play with small passes and can normally dribble past his man. Torquay are not Barcelona, nor is Bodin Messi, yet we play good passing football and Bodin may benefit playing this role.

No SH*T!!!!!

Ollie that is quality man!


I agree though and i'm quite liking that line up but the only thing is there is no strength, power or height in the front 3 nor is there any ball retention. It will end up coming straight back to the midfield to deal with. If we played things shrewdly though i reckon we could achieve something with that formation. One thing is for sure, if we go 1 up top we're f*cked.

[OllieGull]

No SH*T!!!!!

Ollie that is quality man!


I agree though and i'm quite liking that line up but the only thing is there is no strength, power or height in the front 3 nor is there any ball retention. It will end up coming straight back to the midfield to deal with. If we played things shrewdly though i reckon we could achieve something with that formation. One thing is for sure, if we go 1 up top we're f*cked.

I only pointed that out because I know someone would come along and say something sarcastic "e.g. Bodin is not Messi." so I was just clearing it up
Edit: Also, you're right it has not strength or height which is why it would have to be mainly ground passes supplied by Mr.Craig, and just through balls past defences on which we could hopefully rely on a bit of pace from the front 3 :~D

[AustrianAndyGull]

They say attack is the best form of defence and get those 3 on fire up front and they could really frighten Oxford who themselves are brittle and low on confidence at the minute. I was gloomy a while ago at the thought of no Howe, possibly no Poke but if Martin is brave enough to go for broke with these three tricksters then i reckon we can cause them problems. There is nothing to lose, play negative 1 up top stuff and it's a guaranteed loss IMO. Why not go for it in a game where most people expect us to struggle anyway.

[ferrarilover]

Can't play Jarvo up front alone, it's not his game, which means he needs to be one of a pair. Bodin just behind him and he'll do just fine. What are you all basing your disliking of Pokey on? as for the couple having a pop at Jarvo, he gets 2 minutes at the end of games and doesn't score, well what a surprise that is. He gets 90 minutes against Yeovil and gets two and missed another. Back in the Buckle era, we had all sorts of players being asked to do jobs they couldn't or didn't want to do. ML is good, but he won't continue to be if he adopts the same trait. Play to players strengths, this means NOT having Jarvo at the top of a 4-5-1 because that is not a job he can do. Sure, my GP is a smart man, but he's **** ing useless with computers, so it's no good making him the head of IT at the local hospital and just hoping that his natural intelligence will pull him through. Equally, Bill Gates is a great IT man, but I wouldn't trust him to diagnose liver cancer or Alzheimer's with any great reliability.

Matt.

[royalgull]

Same formation

Back 5 will pick itself

Stevens and Thompson in the wide areas providing Thompson is fit, Mansell Craig and Lathrope in the middle with Bodin up front. Without Howe we need something different so I'd load us with 3 players with real pace and try and get the ball wide as much as possible. Can't go through the middle like we normally do looking for Rene to bring others into play. Get the ball, get it out wide and let Thompson and Stevens run at them for 70-80mins.

[ferrarilover]

According to Twitter, in a conversation with Radio Pundit of the Year Stevie Breed (if he hasn't won it yet, there is no justice), Tommo isn't injured, just not selected.

Matt.

[Plymouth Gull]

I'd be inclined to go with Thompson/Stevens on the wings, Bodin down the middle. I really don't rate Jarvo and he can't do a job on his own up front, so get the ball down, out to the wings and see what happens.

[royalgull]

Ling confirms Jarvis starts tomorrow

"i made a small note in my diary on the way, it simply says 'Bugger' "

[Plymouth Gull]

Sigh.

[Richinns]

Lone striker role it seems. Suspect we will have about 30% possession. Will be a loooonnnngggg afternoon!

[coley in stripes]

Now we are getting to 'silly land' if most think that we are going to get through this season on 12/13 players..But most seem to accept what is happening without wanting to look deeper, but despite this, tomorrow will be 1-0 Gulls !!!

[royalgull]

if we win tomorrow i would have to say it'll be one of our very best wins in recent times.

[AustrianAndyGull]

If we get something tomorrow playing Jarvis alone then please feel free to come on here and say i told you so but this game presents Martin with a no lose situation, a chance to select a thoroughly attack minded side to go out there with all guns blazing and see what happens. This is where Martin fails as a manager for me choosing the safe option in a game where most expect a defeat anyway given the personnel available to him. I'm sure if we blitzed from from the off, created a million chances gave them all sorts of problems but succumbed to a 2 or 3 nil defeat then more praise will be forthcoming on here than if we sit tight, defend for our lives and then lose by 2 or 3. I don't know whay Martin can't see this. Let the shackles off for once Martin and lets see what happens please!. Oh, and if Matt is right about Thompson not even being selected for this or the Barnet game then i find this utterly astounding. Maybe he is too quick for Martin who likes the boring, staid type of football. I don't know but we need to attack tomorrow to give ourselves any chance of holding on for something. The thing is if we play negatively and get to 70 minutes before conceding we will lose. If we go a goal up or a goal down playing attacking football then we have a chance of at least getting an equaliser than the other tactic where we need a goal but don't even get out of our own half.

In the words of NIKE Martin - JUST DO IT!